


Enchanted

by wildcatlizzie



Series: Mended Hearts [1]
Category: Chris Evans (actor) - Fandom, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Chance Meetings, Cute Kids, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, Nurses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22093918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildcatlizzie/pseuds/wildcatlizzie
Summary: “As I was saying, we’re going to have a special guest today. Ladies, please remember that he’s here for the kids and not your social lives,” Meghan pleaded with the nurses in front of her.“Who is it?” one of the students asked excitedly.“Chris Evans.”“Shit, Meg, a reminder would have been nice,” Kaitlyn quipped. “I would have put on my nice scrubs and washed off last week’s eyeliner.”
Relationships: Chris Evans (Actor)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Mended Hearts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590325
Comments: 20
Kudos: 73





	1. This Is The Very First Page...

**Author's Note:**

> "This night is sparkling, don't you let it go  
> I'm wonder struck, blushing all the way home  
> I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
> This night is flawless, don't you let it go  
> I'm wonder struck, dancing around all alone  
> I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
> I was enchanted to meet you"
> 
> \-- Enchanted, Taylor Swift

_April_

Kaitlyn power walked through the sleepy night shift crew as she made her way toward the conference room, her badge and keys clacking noisily as she moved. She looked down at her watch; she was just a couple of minutes late.

“We will have a special guest today –” her manager had already started morning huddle. “Nice of you to join us, Kate,” Meghan greeted good naturedly, making a mark on the assignment sheet and census.

“Anytime,” Kaitlyn replied, tipping her iced mocha in her boss’s direction. “I would like to take this moment to thank the management team –” she dodged the styrofoam cup that was aimed at her head.

“Sit down,” Meghan told her, laughing.

“As I was saying, we’re going to have a special guest today. Ladies, please remember that he’s here for the kids and not your social lives,” Meghan pleaded with the nurses in front of her.

“Who is it?” one of the students asked excitedly.

“Chris Evans.”

“Shit, Meg, a reminder would have been nice,” Kaitlyn quipped. “I would have put on my nice scrubs and washed off last week’s eyeliner.”

The nurses around her laughed.

“I know you all treat our guests with respect and let them spend time with the kids, but the higher ups make me give the disclaimer every time,” Meghan stated; she knew her staff would be on their best behavior. Her veterans hardly batted an eye anymore at celebrities gracing the halls of the hospital.

“Alright, team,” Meghan said, standing up, “let’s go save some lives.”

Kaitlyn walked over and took a peek at the assignment sheet. “Am I with Abby again today?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Meghan replied. “Amanda said she was asking for you all night.”

“Poor pumpkin,” Kaitlyn muttered, sticking out her bottom lip. “I’ll call you if I need you!” she called out over her shoulder as she left the conference room.

“How was your night, Amanda?” she asked, sidling up to the nurse she was taking over for.

Amanda sighed and smiled up at her. “It was a bit rough. Her heart rate’s been high, and her blood pressure has been low. Pain meds aren’t helping much. The volume of blood that she’s circulating has been marginal, chest tube drainage has been steady, but nothing alarming; about 100 milliliters out my whole shift.”

Kaitlyn frowned as she looked at the monitors through the room window. “She’s been walking a fine line since surgery, hopefully she turns a corner soon.”

“She’s been asking for you all night,” Amanda said, smiling. “I may have let it slip Captain America is coming to visit, too. She perked right up. I’ve never wished I worked days so bad.”

Kaitlyn laughed. “You hate people.”

“True,” Amanda agreed, laughing. “Wanna go say good morning to our girl?”

“Let’s do it,” Kaitlyn said, setting down her coffee and bag before following Amanda into the patient room.

“Nurse Kate,” a little voice came from beneath a bundle of blankets.

“Hey, sweet pea,” Kaitlyn greeted the little girl. She smiled down at her and stroked her hair. “Amanda, have you been able to come down on any of the vasoactive meds?” she asked, looking up at the IV medications infusing into the little girl.

Amanda shook her head sadly and stuck her thumb up.

“Fuck,” Kaitlyn silently mouthed.

“Is Captain America really coming today?” Abby asked, tugging on Kate’s jacket sleeve to get her attention.

“That’s the plan sweetheart,” she replied brightly. “We’ll get your hair all pretty, and maybe I’ll even find some lip gloss!”

The little girl’s eyes brightened, some color returning to her pale skin. “Promise?” she asked.

“Promise,” Kaitlyn told her. “I’m going to say goodbye to Nurse Amanda, and I’ll be back, OK?”

“OK,” Abby responded, snuggling deeper into the blankets and closing her eyes.

“She’s paler than the last time I saw her,” Kaitlyn said as she and Amanda walked out of the room. “What’s her blood count?”

“It was 8.5 this morning,” Amanda told her, looking down at her notes from the night. Kaitlyn frowned. It wasn’t horrible, but it was lower than normal, too. 

“Brady’s not ready to transfuse yet?” she responded, trying to work out what the surgeon’s plans were.

“Not yet,” Amanda said. “He wants to watch the chest tube output. If she dumps 100 milliliters in an hour, then he may take her back to OR.”

Kaitlyn pulled another face. “She just can’t catch a break.”

“Nope,” Amanda agreed, tucking her belongings into her bag; clearing the way for Kaitlyn to take over the space.

“You back tonight?” Kaitlyn asked.

“Yep, and I expect a full report on the deliciousness of Chris Evans,” Amanda responded, pulling on her jacket and putting her bag over her shoulder.

“Covert photo ops are a go,” she laughed, mock saluting her. “I hope he brightens her day. I haven’t seen a real smile out of her in a long time.”

“Me too,” Amanda agreed. “See you later.”

“Sleep well,” Kaitlyn called after her, sitting down and logging into the computer.

\----------

“Captain America will be here soon,” Kaitlyn said, walking into Abby’s room, pushing up her sleeves. “Did you finish your breakfast?”

“I ate as much as I could.” Abby told her, pushing forward her still mostly full tray.

“I’ll do your hair like Elsa if you take three more bites of eggs,” Kaitlyn bargained.

“Will you sing with me?” the little girl asked, picking up her fork again.

“That will cost you two more bites of eggs,” the nurse countered, pulling out Abby’s brush, kicking off her shoes, and settling behind Abby on the bed to brush and fix her hair.

“Deal,” she replied enthusiastically. “Taylor Swift, please.”

“Elevator buttons and morning air,” Kaitlyn started, untangling Abby’s hair and beginning to braid it.

“Stranger silence makes me want to take the stairs,” Abby chimed in.

They continued singing while Abby ate her eggs and Kaitlyn braided her hair. Still singing loud enough for her patient to hear, Kaitlyn ran out and pulled a lip gloss from her purse.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little mind,” she continued, coming back in armed with the pink gloss. “People throw rocks at things that shine.”

“But they can’t take what’s ours,” Abby sang before puckering her lips.

“They can’t take what’s ours,” Kaitlyn echoed. “The stakes are high, the water’s rough, but this love is ours.”

“Ours,” Abby smiled happily, looking in the mirror built into the bedside table. “Do you think Captain America will think I’m pretty?” she asked, touching her braid softly with her hands.

“He’ll be crazy not to,” she told the 10-year-old. She looked up at the monitor and adjusted some of the IV medications before smiling back down at Abby.

“Do you think he’ll sign my poster?” 

“If you ask nicely, I’m sure he’ll sign your forehead!” Kaitlyn laughed at the shocked expression on the little girl’s face as she slipped her Danskos back on.

“My birthday’s next week,” Abby stated softly. “Am I going to live long enough to turn 11?”

Kaitlyn sat back down on the edge of the bed and did her best to smile. This was the part of her job that she hated. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure you have many, many more birthdays, sweet pea,” she told her, stroking her hair.

“Can I tell him about your cat?” she asked excitedly, sitting up a bit straighter in the bed.

“You can absolutely tell him about Steve Rogers,” Kaitlyn chuckled, turning to wash her hands.

“What’s this about Steve Rogers?” a deep voice asked from the doorway.

A huge smile spread across Abby’s face, a blush coloring her cheeks as Chris walked into the room. “Nurse Kate has a cat named Steve Rogers!” she exclaimed, showing more spunk than she had in weeks.

“Is that so?” Chris asked, looking over his shoulder back at the nurse.

Kaitlyn shrugged one shoulder. “He was an orphan kitty on the mean streets of Phoenix,” she explained. “Now he’s a super soldier; if your definition of super soldier is being fat, happy, and the worst at killing scorpions.”

Chris laughed and turned his attention back to Abby. “I’m Chris, what’s your name?” he asked, holding his hand out to her, bending down on one knee to be at eye level.

“I’m Abby,” she replied, putting her little hands in his. “Will you sign my poster, please? Just the poster, not my forehead.”

Kaitlyn snorted from where she was watching the monitor from the doorway. Chris laughed while pulling a permanent marker out of his pocket and turning the poster toward him. Abby’s heart rate and blood pressure were returning to normal for the first time in days.

“To Abby,” Chris spoke aloud while scribbling on Abby’s Endgame poster. “I’m with you till the end of the line.” When he finished, he flipped the poster back in Abby’s direction with a flourish.

“How’s Dodger?” the little girl asked, looking back up at him with wide eyes. “He looks like he’s such a good boy.”

“He’s the best boy,” Chris told her, taking a seat in the chair Kaitlyn snuck in behind him. “He did the silliest thing the other day. Do you want to see?” he asked, taking his phone out of his pocket. 

“Oh, yes, please!” Abby exclaimed, clapping her hands before taking Chris’s offered phone in her hands.

Abby’s giggles wafted through the room as she watched the video of Dodger howling along as his family sang “Happy Birthday” to one of his nephews.

“I have a dog named Rooney,” Abby told him, as she handed him back his phone. “She gives the best cuddles.” Satisfied that she was stable enough for the moment, Kaitlyn walked out of the room to catch up on charting.

“I’m pretty sure Kate wants to marry you,” Abby’s voice drifted outside the door to where Kaitlyn had sat down at a computer. She groaned slightly at the little girl’s overshare. “She talks about your butt a lot.”

“Oh my God,” Kaitlyn muttered to herself, covering her face with her hands. An alarm dinged, and her head snapped back up. She was up and out of the chair before Chris had time to fully process what was going on.

“Hey, I think something’s –” he started. Kaitlyn grabbed him by the arms and shoved him out of her way.

“Move!” she ordered. “Abby!” she called, shaking the little girl. “Talk to me, baby girl.” Kaitlyn wrapped a hand around the little girl’s arm, feeling for a pulse.

“One minute she was talking, then she’s just,” he trailed off, drew in a deep breath, and ran his hands through his hair.

Kaitlyn turned back to Chris, who looked like a deer in headlights; his eyes were wide, and color had drained from his face. “Chris,” she called, making sure she had his attention. When he was looking at her, she continued. “Blue button over your right shoulder, hit it.” He did as he was told.

The room was full. Another nurse came in pushing a code cart. Chris watched helplessly at the organized chaos in front of him. He jumped when a nurse bumped into him, making her way over to the other side of the bed with medication vials and syringes in her hands. Not wanting to be in the way, Chris weaved his way out the door to watch from the window.

“Don’t do this to me, Abby,” Kaitlyn muttered while doing chest compressions. Other nurses bustled around her; one hung IV fluids, another positioned defibrillator pads on Abby’s chest, while a third provided breaths through a mask over her mouth.

Another nurse tapped Kaitlyn on the shoulder and took over chest compressions for her while a doctor walked into the room. Chris watched as Kaitlyn explained to the doctor what was going on. He asked her something that made her look down at her watch. He couldn’t hear her reply. “Anyone have any other ideas?” the doctor asked the room at large. No one said anything.

Chris saw Kaitlyn’s eyes widen, looking around helplessly at her colleagues. “No!” she shouted, running over to resume chest compressions. A nurse reached out and gently put her hand on Kaitlyn’s arm. She shook her off and stormed out of the room as the doctor called time of death.

\----------

Chris walked into the stairwell of the hospital armed with a cup of coffee. Sure enough, Kaitlyn was right where he was told she’d be. He walked over to her and sat down next to her on the stairs, silently handing her the coffee.

She sniffled as she looked up at him, taking the offered coffee. “What are you still doing here?” she asked.

“I wanted to see if you were OK,” he responded, folding his hands together in front of him, forearms resting on his knees. “That was kind of intense.”

Kaitlyn snorted as she took a sip of the coffee. “Not like the movies, is it?” she asked a bit bitterly. 

“No, it’s not,” he replied, shaking his head sadly. “You seemed really attached to her.”

She snorted again. “I’ve been taking care of her for months,” she said softly. “I guess you could say that I got attached.”

They sat in silence for a moment, Chris unsure of what to say, and Kaitlyn lost in her own heartbreak.

“God dammit!” she screamed, making Chris jump. She threw the cup of coffee as hard as she could against the opposite wall, taking momentary satisfaction in the explosion of coffee as it hit the wall. After letting out a sigh, she started sobbing.

He instinctively wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him. She clung to his shirt while she continued crying into his chest. Chris stayed silent, rubbing his hand up and down where it rested on her shoulder. Eventually her sobs turned into hiccups, and she pulled away from him.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, sniffling, taking in the splotches of black mascara and eyeliner that were left behind in the tear stains on his light blue button down. “I’ve made a mess of your shirt.”

Chris looked down and laughed. “I have others,” he promised, awkwardly removing his arm from around her shoulders, unsure of what to do now that she had composed herself.

“You must think I’m a lunatic,” she laughed morosely, wiping at her eyes. “So much for last week’s eyeliner,” she muttered, looking down at the mess left on her fingertips.

“What?” he asked, looking at her confused.

“Nothing,” she replied, shaking her head and wiping her fingers vigorously on her scrub pants. “Uh, thanks for the coffee?” she offered pathetically, shrugging her shoulders and giving him a crooked smile.

“You’re welcome,” he said, returning her a smile. “And you’re not a lunatic. Well, maybe a little. You talk about my butt a lot?”

“Oh, jeez,” she mumbled, covering her face with her hands. “One time! I mentioned it one time to another nurse. Abby must have overheard and let her imagination run.”

He threw his head back and laughed at her earnestly. “Well, it is America’s ass,” he chuckled, watching her from the corner of his eyes.

“Mmmhmm,” she agreed, returning his gaze through her lashes and bumping her shoulder with his. “It should be a national monument.”

He laughed again and returned her shoulder bump. They both turned at the sound of the stairwell door opening. Meghan stood there, her own eyes damp and red.

“Kate, her mom and dad are here,” she said softly before turning and letting the door close behind her.

Kaitlyn sighed heavily and stood up, her lightened mood plummeting again. “Thanks for letting me ruin your shirt,” she said, sticking her hand out.

“Nah,” he told her, standing up and taking her hand. “Thank you for everything you do for these kids.”

“I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” she replied, sticking her hands in her pockets. “Thanks for coming to visit. It really makes the kids’ days.”

“After you,” he said, gesturing towards the door with an open palm.

Wiping her eyes again and sucking in a deep breath, Kaitlyn moved toward the door and walked back out onto the floor. Her bottom lip trembled as she walked back toward the room that she had spent the last several months in. Chris nearly ran into her when she stopped abruptly to bite down on her lip to keep the tears at bay. Closing her eyes, she breathed in a deep breath and leaned into him slightly as she recomposed herself. Kaitlyn’s eyes reopened slowly, staring resolutely at the twenty-five feet she had to go before reaching Abby’s room; where the little girl’s parents’ lives were shattered. 

“Jackie, Kent,” she called out softly, standing in the doorway a beat before walking into the room. Jackie was sitting beside the bed, in the chair Chris had previously sat, her face buried into the crook of Abby’s neck while she cried. Her husband Kent stood behind her with his hands on his wife’s shoulders, silent tears running down his cheeks. 

“Oh, Kate,” Jackie replied, looking up at her over her shoulder, not bothering to hide her anguish, and standing up to walk over to Kaitlyn before pulling her into a hug. Kaitlyn’s tears resumed in earnest when she released Jackie and moved to hug Kent.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Kaitlyn muttered, stepping away from Kent and taking both of their hands in hers, the three of them forming a circle with their clasped hands.

“I – uh, I’m sorry, too,” Chris said, wiping his hands on his pants and stepping forward from the doorway. “I was here, we were talking before – uh – she’s a sweet, beautiful girl.”

“Thank you,” Jackie said, stepping away from Kaitlyn and Kent, and shaking his offered hand. “I’m so glad she had a chance to meet you. Captain America was always her favorite.”

“It was my pleasure, really,” he assured, giving her a soft smile. “I’m – uh—I’m going to give you this moment to grieve. Again, I’m so, so sorry for your loss,” he repeated, stepping back away from the three of them as if he was intruding on a private moment; as if he hadn’t just witnessed the cause of their pain firsthand. “Kate, it was nice to meet you as well.”

She reached for his offered hand but was surprised when he hugged her instead. “Thank you,” she said softly, stepping away from him and turning back to the parents. With her back turned, she didn’t see him stick a piece of paper into her bag.


	2. ...Not Where The Storyline Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What on Earth would I talk to him about?” she asked, handing Amanda the bowl of popcorn and plopping back down on the couch.
> 
> “How really, really ridiculously good-looking he is?” Amanda suggested, her phone vibrating against her leg, alerting her to a new text message. Chris had sent her a selfie of him holding a piece of paper with a single question written on it. _‘What’s your plan, Amanda?’_
> 
> “Stop it,” Kaitlyn laughed, throwing a kernel of popcorn at her friend’s face, oblivious to the scheming her friend was up to.
> 
> Amanda laughed along with her friend, the wheels in her head already beginning to turn. _‘Do you have any plans next Saturday?’_
> 
> _‘I’m listening.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "This is me praying that this was the very first page  
> Not where the story line ends  
> My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again  
> These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon  
> I was enchanted to meet you"
> 
> \-- Enchanted, Taylor Swift

“You’re telling me,” Amanda started, staring at the slip of paper Kaitlyn had just handed her. “A phone number, with the name Chris written over it was left in your bag.”

“Yep,” Kaitlyn replied, popping the ‘p’ and taking a long pull from the beer in her hand. It had been a few days since Chris Evans had visited the hospital and Abby’s death. Kaitlyn had found the slip of paper while emptying out her bag from the week of debris that had piled up after working three 12-hour shifts.

At first, she thought it was a prank one of her colleagues was pulling on her. She had sent a few texts to her usual suspects, but no one had known what she was talking about. Now she was curled up on Amanda’s couch, working through her second beer, and silently freaking out that this was all quite possibly real. After witnessing her lose one of her favorite patients, it seemed that Chris Evans had left her his phone number.

“Have you called it?” Amanda asked, finally looking up at her, her eyebrows raised in question.

Kaitlyn choked on the beer she was drinking. “Of course not!” she exclaimed in between coughs.

Amanda pounded her on the back. “Why the hell not?”

Catching her breath, Kaitlyn looked at Amanda incredulously. “Seriously?” she asked.

Amanda just raised an eyebrow in response.

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. “He’s here for the kids, not your social lives,” she paraphrased the hospital’s bottom line when it came to celebrity visitors.

“Yeah, but he’s the one who initiated it,” Amanda argued, taking a sip from her own beer. “It’s not like you threw him into the clean supply closet and took all his clothes off.”

“It’s still inappropriate,” Kaitlyn argued, standing up and walking towards the kitchen.

“Bullshit,” Amanda called back, leaning forward to see what Kaitlyn was up to. 

Kaitlyn threw a bag of popcorn into the microwave. “I can’t believe we’re actually having this conversation,” she called back, arms folded across her chest as she watched the microwave. 

Convinced that she had a few moments, Amanda pulled out her phone and punched in the number that Kaitlyn had handed her.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she called back, quickly typing out the text before Kaitlyn walked back into the room.

_‘Hey, my name is Amanda, I’m a friend of Kate’s. One, if this is really Chris Evans, give me a sign. Two, if you really want to get to know Kate, you’re going to have to go through me because she’s stubborn as fuck.’_

She hit send and turned off her screen as Kaitlyn walked back into the room.

“What on Earth would I talk to him about?” she asked, handing Amanda the bowl of popcorn and plopping back down on the couch.

“How really, really ridiculously good-looking he is?” Amanda suggested, her phone vibrating against her leg, alerting her to a new text message. Chris had sent her a selfie of him holding a piece of paper with a single question written on it. _‘What’s your plan, Amanda?’_

“Stop it,” Kaitlyn laughed, throwing a kernel of popcorn at her friend’s face, oblivious to the scheming her friend was up to.

Amanda laughed along with her friend, the wheels in her head already beginning to turn. _‘Do you have any plans next Saturday?’_

_‘I’m listening.’_

\----------

“I hate these things,” Amanda complained, squinting against the sun even behind her sunglasses. “Too many people and it’s so… bright.”

“That’s called the sun, vampire,” Kaitlyn teased, bending over and stretching out her hamstrings. 

“Don’t give away all my secrets, mortal!” Amanda hissed, aiming a kick at Kaitlyn’s rear. Kaitlyn dodged her kick, straightening up again to stretch out her quads.

The children’s hospital put on several fundraisers and events throughout the year. The Mended Hearts Race was specific to the cardiovascular intensive care unit. Every year, the hospital and the city sponsored a 5k where participants raised funds that went directly to the hospital’s congenital heart defects and structural heart program research.

“Looks like they’re ready to get started,” Kaitlyn said, pointing in the direction of the stage that had been set up for the event.

“Ooh! Yay!” Amanda could barely contain her excitement. Kaitlyn stared at her wondering where the sudden change in attitude had come from.

“Thank you so much for coming out here today,” the president of the hospital greeted the crowd. “All of your fundraising is going to help a lot of special kids.” 

The crowd applauded and cheered. Cheers then turned into shrieks. Kaitlyn looked up, confused as to what was going on. “What the –” she started.

“It is my pleasure to introduce our surprise guest,” the president continued, looking over to his left toward the man with a large check. Even with the sunglasses and ball cap, there was no mistaking Chris Evans.

“Did you know he was going to be here?” Kaitlyn whispered in Amanda’s ear, pulling the brim of her cap down lower over her eyes.

“You mean the president?” Amanda asked, mischief dancing in her eyes. “He’s always at these things.”

Kaitlyn glared.

“Oh, you mean Captain Sexypants,” Amanda clarified, taking a sip of her coffee. “Yeah, I invited him.”

“You did what?” Kaitlyn hissed, pinching the inside of Amanda’s elbow.

“Shh! I’m trying to listen,” Amanda scolded, side stepping away from Kaitlyn and her fingernails.

“—a week or so ago, I was here visiting with the patients and staff in the CVICU, and I got to tell ya, these are some of the most deserving people of your generosity.” Chris was at the microphone now, talking about his experience. “It is my pleasure to announce that with your help, $90,000 is going to help these kids lead long and fulfilling lives. To make it an even $100,000, I’m donating the remainder in honor of a patient, who I had the joy of meeting last week.”

Kaitlyn’s jaw dropped. She brought a hand up to her mouth and leaned into Amanda as tears welled in her eyes. Amanda wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders and pulled her close. 

“You should hit that,” she muttered in Kaitlyn’s ear. Kaitlyn playfully shoved her, laughing while wiping away the few tears that had escaped.

Chris shook hands with the president, smiling for photos as the two of them held up the check for $100,000. With one last smile and a wave for the cameras, Chris jumped down off the stage and started making his way toward Kaitlyn and Amanda.

“Oh, shit!” Kaitlyn muttered, furtively looking around her for an escape route. 

Amanda grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around so that they were eye to eye. “Katie, have some fun for once in your life.”

“He’s a donor,” she protested weakly before frowning slightly. “I have fun.”

“Not often enough,” Amanda chastised, looking over her shoulder to see that Chris was probably 20 feet away from them. “Look, he’s just a guy. Talk to him, have some fun. It’s not like you need to report it to HR.”

“Ladies,” Chris greeted, his hands in the pockets of tracksuit pants that he wore. He smiled brightly at the two of them. 

“It’s so nice to actually meet you,” Amanda greeted, standing between him and Kaitlyn. “Well now that that’s settled, I’m going to go over there.” She clapped Kaitlyn and Chris on the shoulders before turning on her heel and walking away.

“Amanda!” Kaitlyn called after her helplessly, hand dropping to her sides in defeat.

“She’s something else,” Chris commented, taking off his sunglasses and hanging them on the neck of his t-shirt.

“That she is,” Kaitlyn agreed, rocking back on her heels. “I’m sorry that she’s wrapped you up in this. She thinks she’s playing matchmaker.”

“You apologize a lot do you realize that?” he asked, looking down at her with a small smile. “Besides, who says she’s playing matchmaker on her own?”

“Oh,” was all Kaitlyn could say, a bright blush coloring her cheeks. She wrung her hands a bit, spotting Amanda’s blonde head in the crowd. As if sensing she was being watched, Amanda turned and met Kaitlyn’s gaze, giving her a thumbs up.

“Were you going to run?” she asked Chris taking in his running shoes and t-shirt.

“I was planning on it,” he told her. “You know, put my money where my mouth is rather than just signing a check.”

Kaitlyn smirked up at him and squared up her stance in challenge. “Care to make this even more interesting?”

“What did you have in mind?” he asked, mirroring her stance.

“Loser buys lunch?” she offered, holding out her hand.

“You’re on,” he agreed, shaking her hand.

\----------

Kaitlyn covered her mouth with a napkin while she laughed. Chris had just finished telling her the story of how he had convinced his brother to pee his pants when they were kids.

“That is possibly the most horrendous yet hilarious thing I’ve ever heard,” she told him, setting her napkin down and leaning forward against the table in between them. “How old were you?”

“Too old,” he told her, smiling at her when she threw her head back and started laughing again.

“Oh, man,” she sighed, shaking her head ruefully. “I would like to say girls wouldn’t be as devious, but that would be a lie.”

“Do you have any siblings?” he asked, leaning back against his chair, soaking in the warm California sun.

“I do,” Kaitlyn nodded, “a younger sister.” She looked up at him sheepishly, “I told her Santa wasn’t real when she was six.”

“Oh!” Chris exclaimed. “Now that’s just mean,” he told her, laughing.

“She broke the arms off my Barbie,” Kaitlyn explained, holding her hands up in defense. “I wanted her to hurt as much as I did. Now she rubs it in by constantly asking if I’m going to ruin it for her kids as well.”

“You have nieces and nephews?” he asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. 

“Two nieces,” she nodded, taking a sip of her water. “They’re four and six.”

The waiter had quietly slipped their check onto the table before walking away. Kaitlyn snatched it up before Chris could reach for it.

“Oh, come on,” he protested while she reached for her wallet.

“We shook on it,” she reminded him, holding out the receipt and her debit card as the waiter passed by again. “You beat my time by, like, fifteen minutes.”

“I didn’t think you were actually serious,” he told her, shaking his head.

She smiled up at him triumphantly. “Amanda will tell you I’m very serious,” she said. “All the time.”

“I’ll see about that,” he chuckled. “I’m going to be in town for a bit, let me take you out. For real this time.”

Every reason why she should say no thank you flashed through her mind; _her professionalism, he’s officially a hospital donor, could she really date someone who would hardly ever be around, could she handle the scrutiny into her own life._ However, a voice that sounded an awful lot like Amanda’s also began to chime in; _he’s a great guy, you haven’t been out on a date in ages, he can help you be a whole lot less serious, you have nothing to lose, you deserve to have some fun._

The proverbial devil on her shoulder disguised as Amanda won out.

“I think I’d like that,” she replied, smiling up at him. A breeze ruffled through her hair, carrying with it the scent of orange blossoms. She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped from her mouth.

“What’s so funny?” Chris asked, cocking his head to one side; unable to help but chuckle along with her.

“Do you smell that?” she asked, making a vague gesture to the air.

Chris turned his face toward the breeze and inhaled deeply. “Smells like oranges,” he told her.

Kaitlyn nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “Orange blossoms,” she clarified, “Abby’s favorite.”

“I take it this means she approves,” he told her, reaching across the table and taking her hand.

“I do, too,” she agreed, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for those of you who took the time to comment and leave kudos on the first part! It makes me happy! :) I hope you continue to enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> Each work will be a snapshot of their relationship, and inspired by a song. Fair warning, I'm a Pop Princess. Sorry, not sorry.
> 
> Thank you goes to msred for giving this a critical eye, and ultimately being the inspiration behind this. If you haven't read her work, you should.


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